GENE SIMMONS Blasts 'Conspiracy Idiots', Urges Everyone To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

Gene Simmons has once again blasted people who are defiantly skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines, saying they are posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them.

The KISS bassist and co-vocalist discussed his views on anti-vaxxers while speaking to iHollywoodTV about his new Gibson signature bass. Asked what it has been like to return to the road with KISS during the pandemic, Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Look, I've always been a safe guy. I've never been run over by a car. But then whenever I get to the street corner, I do what I was taught, which is look both ways, cross at the green, not in between, and all that stuff. So cars never hit me — surprise! The pandemic is the same thing. You've gotta get a flu shot. If you go to school, you get all kinds of… A polio shot, all kinds of shots. Which may not be life-threatening. The pandemic and COVID could be life-threatening, especially if you have predisposed other diseases, you could die. A million Americans have died. Close to 10 million worldwide have died because of this. I know the conspiracy idiots are telling you that it's not true — it is. So I got vaccinated twice, then had a booster, and I'm about to get another boost.

"This is gonna be a fact of life," he continued. "Every year I go and get my flu vaccine — I get the shots. Because even though flu might not be life-threatening, I don't wanna deal with the headaches and stuff. As a statement of fact, I did get COVID. We got off tour. All of us are vaccinated, and even though I was vaccinated, you can get COVID. However, as a factoid, I had zero symptoms — because of the vaccine. So I didn't have a runny nose, I didn't get backaches. In fact, my appetite went up and I gained a few pounds. But that's what happens when you have a vaccine.

"If you sit in your car, the law is you must wear a seatbelt," Gene added. "That's not gonna prevent an accident from happening, but it may prevent you from having to buy a new face when it crashes into your windshield. A vaccine may not prevent you from getting COVID but may be able to prevent you from having to be in the hospital and have a tube go up your ass. No, of course, some people like that sort of that.

"Usually I don't tell people what to do," Simmons clarified. "But it is an issue if your personal decision affects other people. 'I don't wanna wear the color blue' — nobody's gonna tell you what to do. But if you sneeze in public, don't you put your hand in front of your face? If you're yawning in public, don't you cover your face? I don't cover my face when I'm at home, 'cause there's nobody around. And those are not life-threatening events. If you're willing to cover your face when you're sneezing, which is not a life-threatening event, why wouldn't you get a vaccine [against COVID-19], which could be a life-threatening event for you and for others."

Last November, Gene lamented the politicization of the coronavirus vaccines, telling the livestreaming social selling online network TalkShopLive: "It has become political, unfortunately. The far left and the far right are both evil; they both spread all kinds of nonsense. I don't like either one of them. Politics are the enemy. Humanism and humanity is what we should all be concerned about. Love thy neighbor as thyself."

Back in August, Simmons tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. His bandmate Paul Stanley also caught the virus, leading the band to postpone a handful of concerts.

In October, Rolling Stone magazine published a story in which a group of KISS roadies suggested that the lack of COVID protocols enforced on the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour led to the death of a longtime guitar tech, 53-year-old Francis Stueber. Stueber died of coronavirus in his Detroit hotel room on October 17, just two days after being quarantined. The crew members claimed the tour didn't take strict enough safety measures, including not testing everyone regularly. In addition, some crew members allegedly disguised their illness and/or faked vaccine cards.